Intebnax-combustion-engine apparatus



C. F. PARK.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE APMHATUS.

APPucATxoN FILED 1:53.28. x91.'

13.503.954. Patented May 20, 1919.

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INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE APPARATUS.

` APPLlCATloN FILED FEB.2B.\9\1.

1,303,954. Patented May 20, 1919.

` 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

.Ivi/11971511507@ C. F. PARK.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE APEARATUS.

rAPPLlcATlmI FILED FEB.28.\917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

l 1,303,954. Patented Imy 20, 1919.

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C. F. PARK.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28. ISI? wm. Patented May 20, 1919.

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CHARLES F. PARK, OF TAUNTON. MASSACHUSETTS.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION-ENGINE APEARATUS.

Lacasse.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 28, 1917. SeraI No. 151,439.

Toall whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES F. PARK, a-

citizen of the Unite-d States, and resident of Taunton, in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Internal-Combustion-Engine Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a power-plant, and more particularly to a power-plant especially designed for use upon automobiles and the like, *the apparatus comprising an internalcombustion engine having a plurality of crank-shafts associated together.

The principal object of the invent-ion is, to

rovide an engine possessingr the advantage of the well-known V-ty'pe of engine and being free from the disadvantages of this type of engine. More particularly, the principal object consists yin providing an engine possessing the advantages of vertical cylinders, simplicity of construction. compactness, accessibility, simple connections between the engine-pistons and crank-shafts, and an engine which is free from the oiling difficulties peculiar to the V-type of engine.

Other object-s of the invention will be apparent Ifrom the following description of the lpreferred form of my invention, which comprises a plurality of cylinders arranged in two rows and having the cylinders so arranged that their axes are substantially parallel, so that they may all be vertically disposed. YVith each row of cylinders is associated a crank-shaft, suitable connecting rods heilig employed to connect the pistons in the cylinders in .each row with the corresponding craiik-shaft. and the crank-shafts are connected together by suitable gearing so that the two crank-shafts turn together with the same angular velocity and preferably in opposite directions. Each of the cylinders is provided with itsl own inlet and exhaust valves so that with its connection to the crank-shaft and with its other accessories constitutes a complete engine in itself. Vllhe connections are so made that the explosion of the impulses in all the cylinders occur at regularly recurring intervals so that a rotative effect is produced which is as nearly constant as the particular number of cylinders employed will permit. lilith an eifv,.yht-v inder motor.- as shown in the accompanying drawings. thecranks on one Ihaft are angular-ly displaced 90C ct. to the cranks` on the other crank-shaft. 'Howevelx the invention is not limited to an eight-cylinder motor, but on the other hand 1s applicable to any number of cylinders greater than two, but more particularly it. is applicable to-any even number of cylinders. When employing twelve cylinders. for example. the cranks on the two crank-shafts are preferably displaced with respect to each other Yinstead of 90 as in the eight-cylinder engine.

Several novel features of construction are involved in my improved apparatus, among which may be mentioned the following: In the preferred form the cylinders are preferably cast in block in groups of four, the four cylinders being symmetrically arranged in the form of a parallelogram and preferably in the form of a rectangle or a square. The water-jacket for cooling the cylinders is continuous about all four cylinder-barrels. there being a single water-'inlet for each group of four cylinders. thisl inlet being disposed at the bottom of the continuous jacket surrounding the group of cylinders. By virtue of this arrangement a very short inlet-manifold for the cooling water may be disposed between two groups of four cylinders in such lmanner as to supply1 cooling water to both groups. The heads for the respective groups of cylinders are preferably cast integrally. and the inlet and outlet valves for the four cylinders are preferably disposed in the single head. The water-jacket continuous about all of the eight valve-chambers in each valve-head and over the four cylinder heads. The cooling water may be circulate-d directly from the jacket surrounding the cylinders through openings in the upper surface of the cylinder casting into the valve-head jacket. but it is preferably circulated by by-pass connections extending upwardly around the junction between the cylinder casting and the valvehead casting. Thepartitions in the valvehead casting are preferably so placed that the four inlet-valves are in a single chamber which connnunicates with the inlet-manifold and carburetor through a single opening. lil-ach exhaust-valve chamber preferably communicates with an individual exhaustmanifold. two suc-h manifolds being disposed on each side of each group of four cylinders. The cylinders and valve-heads are preferably symmetrically arranged. in the form of a square or other parallelogram so that the valve-head can be mounted on Patented May 20, 1919.

the cylinders with the inletmanifold corninunieating with the carbureter on either side of the engine.

By virtue ot the fact that two crank-shafts are employed in my improved engine. one shaft. can be employed to drive the automobile or other working apparatus and the other shaft may be employed to drive the auxiliary apparatus such as the pumps, fan, magneto. electric generator. ete. vith the crank-shafts geared together. the energy delivered to either of the crank-shafts in excess of that required to drive the apparatus connected thereto. is transferred to the other cranleshaft through the aforesaid gearing. For example. a relatively small amount of energy is normally required to drive the auxiliary tqiparatus. so that the energy supplied to the auxiliary crank-shaft is ordinarily greatly in excess` of that required to drive this apparatus. and the excess energy transferred through. the gearing connect ing the crank-shafts together and is thus employed to assist in driving the automobile or other machine. The 'gearing connecting the two crank-shafts together may be in eluded in the crank-case, nit in order to give the gearingV the most suitable lubrication it is preferably placed in a compartment separate from the cranlecase.

One embodiment ol the invention is illustrated in detail in the accompanying drawings in which;-

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective showing the relative disposition of the two crank-shafts in an eight-cylinder engine. the coupling-gearing. the manner of supporting the engine. etc.;

Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating the order of operation of the cylinders connected to the respective cranks on the main crankshaft.;

Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating the order ot' operation of the cylinders connected to the respective cranks on the auxiliary crank shaft;

Fig. l is a diagram illustrating the relative order of operation of the cylinders connected to both crank-shafts;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view similar to Fig. l showing the invention applied to a twelve-cylinder engine;

Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating the order of operation of the cylinders connected to the main crank-shaft in Fig. 5;

Fig. T is a diagram illustrating the order of operation of cylinders connected to the auxiliary crankshaft in Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating the relative order of operation of the cjilinders connected to both crank-shafts in Fig, 5t

Fig. 9 a top plan view of a complete eight-cylinder engine. the first par ot cylinders being shown in plan with the head removeda the second pair of cylinders being shown in horizontal section on line T T of Figs. l() and ll. the third pair ot' cylinders being shown in section taken through the heads on line G-t of Fig. 10. and the fourth pair ot cylinders being shown with the common valve-head in place;

Fig. l() is a front view of the engine. the valve-head being shown infse'ction taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 9. theri'ghbhand front cylinder being shown in SectionV on line 3-3 of Fig. 9. and the crank-casing being shown in section on line -l-l of Fig. 11; and.

Fig. 1l is an elevation olf the complete engine showingthe forward portion of the engine. including;r lthe torwtard groi'ip of cylinders. in section on lint; S-S ot' Fig. 10, and showing thev crank-case beneath the rearward group o-t'our cylinders in section on line ith?) ot Fig. 10. and showing the por tion in the rear ot the rearward group of cylinders in section on line -S ot' Figs. J and l0.

ln the preferred embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings. the t'orward group of four cylinders C1. C2. and are cast in block. and the rearward group or' cylinders C5. CG. CT and CS are likewise cast in block. and both groups of cylinders are preferably arranged in square formation. as shown. Fach group of cylinder.`l vis` surrounded by a water jacket 16. which is spaced away from the cylinders and which extends continuously around each group ofi cylinders so that the cooling wat-er within the jacket may contact with the cylinders throi'tghout their entire outer surface. blocks of cylinders are mounted upon the crank-casing 17. and upon each block` of cylinders is mounted a valvehead 1S.l Th cylinders C1. C C7 and CS are arranged in ies alinement and the pistons P within these I cylinders are connected by means of con necting-rods R with cranks 1. 3. T and 5 respectively. of crank-shaft A. the crank-shaft being disposed in parallelism with the plane of the axes of this row "of cylinders and preferably in this plane. The cylinders Q C.. C. and Cb. are also disposed in alinenient. and preferably in parallelism with the other row of cylinders. and the pistons P within these cylinders are connected to the cranks '2. l. S yand 6. respectively. on thc crankshaft li. rthe crank-shaft B being disposed in parallelism with and preferably in the vertical plane of the axes of the corresponding row of cylinders and preferably in the horizontal plane of the crankshaft A. 1ll'hile'the cylinders of the two rows may be disposed in staggered relationship and still maintain the symmetrical parallelogram grouping above referred to. the cylinders are preferably arranged side by side .so that. they lie in transverse pairs. thereby being in transverse alinement as well as in longitudinal alinement.

In order to render the distribution of iinpulses from the cylinders to the crankshaft-s uniform. and also to permit they crankcated in Fig. 1, the safne arran e1nent,being shown in Figs. 10 and 11. Vith this arran ement, when forward crank 1 on cranksha t A extends upwardly, lforward crank 2 on crank-shaft B extends horizontally to the right, the two cranks being angularly displaced 90 with relation to each other. With cranks 1 `and 2 in this position cranks 3 and T on crank-shaft A extend downwardly and crank 5 extends upwardly while cranks l and 8 on crank-shaft B extend horizontally to the left and crank 6 extends horizontally to the right.

With a twelve-cylinder engine as diagrainmatically illustrated in Fig. 5, when crank 1 on crank-shaft A extends vertically` the opposed crank 2 on crank-shaft B is disposed 60 in a clockwise directionfrom the vertical; cranks 3 and 9 are 120 from the vertical 1n a clockwise direction; cranks i and 10 extend downwardly; cranks o and 11 are 120 from the vertical in a counter-clockwise direction; cranks 6 and 12 are 60O from the vertical in a counterclockwise direction; crank 7 -extends upwardly as does crank 1; and crank S is 60 in a clockwise direction from the vertical, in parallelism with crank 2.

The crank-shafts are directly connected together by suitable means such as herringbone gears or spur gears C and D disposed in the separate compartment 19 at the rear ot' and in alinement with the crank-casing 1T. The crank-shafts A and B may be extended rearwardly from the gearing compartment 19 through suitable bearings to the working apparatus and auxiliary apparatus above referred to. As shown in Fig, 1, for example, shaft A may constitute the main driving-shaft and the ciw-.uk-shaft, B may be employed as the auxiliary driveshaft to drive the auxiliary apparatus such as a generator and pump, diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 1. At the forward end of the engine the crank-shafts are respectively connected to the cam-shafts 21 and 22 through the medium of sets of spurgears 23-2-1. the cam-shafts 21 and 22 bcing arranged to control the inletand exhaust-valves in proper sequence. through the medium of push-rods 26 in any suitable manner:

As abo\e stated, 'tl1e valveheads for the respective groups of cylinders are preferably cast in block and the inletand outletvalves for the respective cylinders are so disposed in each valve-head that the heads may be connected to the cylinder-casing through the medium of stud-bolts 2T or lto the right or the left.

other suitable means. with the inlet-manifold. later to be described, extending either Each cylinder is provided with an inlet-valve 28 and an exhaust-valve 29, the valves being arranged in alinement with the respective rows of cylinders so as to be operated by the camshafts 21 and 22, throughthe medium of push-rods 26, in any suitable manner. The inlet-valves 2S are disposed in juxtaposition on the inside `of the exhaust-valves so that -tliey are grouped at the cent-er of each block of four cylinders. The partition wall 31 of the valve-head is so shaped as to include the four inlet-,valves wit-hin a common inlet-manifold 32, this inlet-manifold being provided with an inlet-openingk 33 communicating with the carbureter so that fuel is supplied to the four cylinders of each block through the common manifold 32. Each of the exhaust-valve openings communicates with an individual exhaust-chamber 3i, these chambers connecting with a common exhaust-manifold (not shown) extending along each side of the cylinders; here a plurality of groups of cylinders are employed, as in eight, twelveor sixteen-cylinder engines, the manifold inlets 3? are preferably disposed on the same side of the engine so that they may readily comm'u- 95 nicate .through suitable supply-manifolds with a single carbureter. a

Cooling water is preferably supplied to the water jackets 16 through'open'mgs 36 in the bottom of the jackets, these openings beingdisposed near the adjacent sides ol the jackets, so that water may be supplied to the two jackets through a branch duct 3T. After circulating freely about the cylinders the water is conducted through bypasses 3S to the water compartment l0 in the valve-heads from which the heated water passes through openings into a return water-manifold (not shown).

One phase of my invention involves a novel means for supporting arrengine and particularly an engine of the character herein described. My improved supporting means is preferably of the three point suspension type, having two points of support at one end and one point of support at the other end. In the drawings I have illustrated an engine adapted to be supported at its two rear corners in-any -usual or suitable manner4 and having a forward single point, suspension arranged at its forward end as will now be described. i

A bearing E comprising two parts -ll and 12 is mounted upon the crank-casing 1T. at the forward end of the engine by means of stud bolts 43. the bearing being adapted to receive a trunnion for supporting the engine at its forward end. It will be noted that the bearing E is not disposed centrally of the engine but is opposite to the left of the cenparted' tothe crank-shafts from the left-hand 'cylinders in Figs. 9 to l1; that i row of cylinders would tend to rotate the engine 1n a counter-clockwise direction about the bearing,z and the reaction ot the impulses from the right-hand row oi cylinders would tend to rot-ate the engine in a clockwise direc-tion. about the bearing'. This reyersal of rotating impulsesfwonlfl tend to produce undue vibration "of the motor. whereas with the motor mounted oticenter as indicated, the reactions resulting from the impulses transn'iitted to eachl cranlcsaattare in a. counter-clockwisel direction about. the bearing. thus oliviating the reversal ot direction of the reactions. llurthermore7 withthe engine mounted oit-center, as indicated, the unbalanced weight oit' the. engine sets up a momen-t in a clockwise direction about the bearing and this clockwise moment tends to counteract the counter-clockwisev moment set up by the reactions of bothrows ot cylinders.

' The operation of the apparatus is as Jfollows; The valve and ignition mechanism is so timed that the explosions occur in 'the respective cylinders in the order indicated by the reference characters applied to the cranks of the respective crank-shafts in Fig. l. and also as indicated by the subscripts applied to the character C designating the respective the explosions occur in the respective cylinders in the following order: C17 C2, C8, so that impulses are transmitted to the cranklshatta in theol-der 1, 2, 8. Thus the impulses transmitted to crank-shaft A are spaced 180 apart, as represented in Fig. 2; the impulses imparted to crank-shaft B are likewise spaced apart 1800; and inasmuch as the cranks on crank-shaft B corresponding to the cranks on crank-shaft A are angularly displaced 90o from the latter cranks. the im pulses transmitted to the two cranlcsha'tts are regularlyspaced apart by intervals of 90". Consequently, the two crank-shane function as a single crank-shaft by virtue of their being positively geared together and the same uniformity of torque is ali'orded by this engine as that. of the. V-type engine. But` unlike the V-type engine. this engine possesses all the important advantages incident to vertical cylinders: and owing to the provision of a separate crank-shaft for Aeach longitudinal row oit cylinders. the opposed cylinders of the two rows do not have Lacasse to be connected to a single crank-shaft as in the vi-type motor. which has offered many mechanical ditiiculties. but on the contrary the cylinders can be placed in direct opposition and still be connected to the crankshafts as simply as in the ordinary fouror six-cylinder engine.

' While the above order of operation of the respective cylinders is suitable for most purposesf other arrangements may be employed and under some circumstances may be deemed preferable. For example. instead of imparting impulses to the cranks in the order l. 2. S. by suitably arranging the Avalve and ignition,mechanism the impulses may be imparted to the following order l, t3, 8, 2, T. l. -With this arrangement impulses are uniformly spaced apart by intervals of 90"` as with the first mentioned arrangement. However. instead of the four cylinders oi.' one. group being successively operated and then the four cylinders ot' the other group being successively operated this latter order of operation involves the alternateoperation ot' the cylinders in the respective groups. thatl is. cylinder C1 is in the forward group. the next cylinder C. is in the rearward group. the following cylinder C). is in the forward group, and so on, the only exception being that cylinder C5, which. is in the same group with cylinder CS, follows the latter cylinder. Obviously. other arrangements in which the impulses are uniparted to crankshaft A. are uniformly spaced apart 15200. as represented in Fig. 6: the impulses imparted to crankshaft B are likewise uniformly spaced apart 1200, as shown in Fig. and owing to the fact that the corresponding cranks of the two crank` shafts are relatively displaced 60C, the impulses imparted to the unitary system comprising the two crank-shafts are uniformly spaced apart by intervals of 60o. as indicated in Fig. S.

It is to be further noted that by virtue of the two cranlcshafts being geared directly together. the crank-shaftsrotate in opposite directions` and that the throw of the cranks on both crank-shafts is downwardly between the two shafts. This results in a minimization of vibration due to the. tendency of the reactions from the impulses imparted to one crank-shaft to compensate for the reac-v tions4 of the impulses imparted to the other crank-shaft. That is. the ri actions from crank-shaft A tend to produce rotation oi .I I 'l a e u the cylinders in a counter-clockwise direction relatively-t the central vertical longitudinal plane of the engine while the reactions from v'crank-shaft B tend to produce rotation of the cylinders in a clockwise direction, where- -by the reactions from the respective crankshafts are mutually countera'cted.

U Moreover', it is to be understood that m-y invention in most of its aspects is in no wise limited to the type of cylinders herein shown v and described for the purpose of illustration,

4 but on the contra-ry it is also adapted to engines of otliertypesand particularly to engires, having theKnight type of cylinders Iclaim is:-

4l1 internal combustion engine'comprisfgtwo parallel crank-shafts, pist-on 'and y inder means associated with each crankn' .-shaft and. disposed on one side of the plane bf the .crank-shaftamieans operatively con# nectingthe respective lpiston and cylinder 'means with the respective crank-shafts so as torotate the-'crank-shafts in opposite directions, and means for supporting the engine olf-center so that thel reactionsot each piston and cylinder means will be directed 1n the l -sameangular directionaround the off-center t support.

f2.y An internal combustion engine comprisin two parallel crank-shafts, piston and cy inder means associated with each crankshaft and disposed onl one side of the plane of the crank-shafts, means operatively connecting the piston and cylinder means with the crank-shafts so as to rotate the crankshafts in opposite directions, and means for supporting the engine off-center so that the reactions of leach 4piston and cylinder means will be opposed to the moment of the unbalanced weight ofthe engine resulting from the olf-center support.

3. An internal combustion engine compris- V in two parallel crankshafts, piston and 'cy 'nder means associated with each crankshaft and disposed on one side of the plane of the crank-shafts, means operatively connecting the piston and cylinder means with the crank-shafts so as to rotate the cra-nkshafts in opposite directions, and means for supporting the engine off-center so that the reactions of each piston and cylinder means will be directed in the same angular directionaround ,the olf-center supportJ and will be opposed to the moment of the vunbalanced weight of theengine resulting from the oi;'- center support.

4c.' An internal combustion engine comprising a plurality of cylinders arranged in parallel rows, a valve-head Iitting upon the cylinders, the valve-head having a common inlet chamber disposed centrally thereof and 1 the valve-head vand cylinders being symmetrically arranged so that the valvediead will fit upon the cylinder in either of two positions 'and the water-jackets of the valvehead and cylinders respectively communieating with each other symmetrically so that waterl may be circulated therebetween in either of said positions of the valve-head, ducts extending between the said waterjackets and a duct opening out of the waterjacket of the valve head, said ducts being symmetrically disposed so that they occupyj the same relative positions in either of said positions of the valve-head.

Signedby me at Boston, Massachusetts, this 23rd day of February, 1917.

CHARLES PARK. 

